Feathered Friend
by iloveromance
Summary: When Niles' pet bird Baby dies unexpectedly, he insists that he's not affected by the loss. But his emotions get in the way. A very AU version of a scene from "Taps at the Montana"
1. Chapter 1

Frasier did a double take when he saw the white shape lying on the island in the middle of Niles' gourmet kitchen.

Surely it wasn't-

But when he took a second glance, he cringed... For, in fact... It _was_.

There, on the island with Daphne standing behind it was Niles' pet cockatoo, Baby.

Dead as a doornail.

"What happened?" He asked from the doorway.

Daphne's eyes held a look of utter fear.

"She must have eaten some of the hors d'oeuvres."

Aghast, Frasier moved closer to the island.

"Dear God, you mean the ones I've been serving to Niles' guests?"

Before she could answer, a familiar voice floated into the kitchen, causing Frasier to cover Baby's lifeless body with a white dishcloth.

"Frasier, I am so sorry that I over-reacted when I saw those appetizers of yours." Niles was saying.

Amazingly he smiled, obviously now in a much better mood than he'd been in earlier. He'd been so worried about his dinner party and wanted it to be nothing less than perfect.

"You know, I think the Niles Crane party curse has finally been laid to rest." He continued.

It was then that he noticed the horrified expressions worn by Frasier and Daphne.

"What?"

But neither of them said a word, causing Niles to become even more apprehensive.

"Will someone please tell me what happened?"

Frasier spoke first. "Niles, I-." He stopped short, as though gathering his thoughts.

It was nothing new, for Frasier Crane was certainly a man of words. And finally he spoke again.

"Um... I'm going to let Daphne tell you."

Daphne's mouth fell open and at that moment, she almost wished that it were Frasier lying under the dishtowel instead of Baby. It would have made things a lot easier.

She took a deep breath, hating herself for what she was about to do.

"Dr. Crane, I don't mean to alarm you, but I think something's wrong with the hors d'oeuvres."

Niles' eyes widened in horror.

"What are you talking about? What could possibly be wrong with them? "

Daphne swallowed hard. "Well..."

Unnerved, Frasier glared at her. "Oh for God's sake Daphne, just show him!"

With trembling fingers she lifted the towel, revealing the dead cockatoo.

Niles walked woodenly into the kitchen and stared at Baby in disbelief. "W-what happened?"

"We think it must have been the mayonnaise or cranberry sauce or perhaps the pâté." Frasier said. "But we should get this thing out of here before someone sees it! God forbid one of your guests suffers the same fate at this... feathered nuisance! Daphne would you dispose of this-."

"Certainly, Dr. Crane." Carefully Daphne wrapped the towel around Baby's lifeless body and lifted it off the island.

"NO!" Niles yelled, startling her so badly that she released the cockatoo, cringing when it landed with a soft thud on the counter.

No one said a words as Niles moved closer and touched the bird's smooth feathers.

"For God's sake, Niles! What are you doing? You have guests to take care of!" Frasier yelled.

But Niles continued to stare at Baby as though in a trance.

"Niles!"

Finally he blinked and was brought back to the present.

"You're right, Frasier." He said in a voice that Daphne barely recognized.

She watched in confusion as Niles walked out of the kitchen, leaving Frasier and Daphne alone.

Annoyed, she turned to her boss. "Well, that wasn't very nice!"

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You know very well what it means! Can't you see how upset he is?"

"Dear God, that's preposterous! No one gets upset over a ridiculous bird!" Frasier argued. "If anything Niles should be upset over the way this ignominy of a dinner party is turning out to-."

But Daphne was no longer paying attention. She was in the living room, looking for any sign of her friend.


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me, have you seen Dr. Crane?"

The elderly couple said nothing but instead looked Daphne up and down, causing her to feel a bit self conscious about her appearance. Why, she'd never met such pretentious snobs in her life!

No wonder she never cared for Niles and Frasier's ridiculous parties! They were full of nothing but haughty egotists with attitudes bigger than the Space Needle. Didn't these people appreciate all that Dr. Crane had done for them tonight?

When she saw no sign of him, she became concerned. It wasn't like Niles to disappear. When he and Frasier were at parties, they wanted to be the center of attention.

So why wasn't he here?

After her inquiries to Niles' whereabouts were met with the same cold response, she took it upon herself to find him.

Most likely he was in his library, searching through the massive array of books in order to find one that would surely impress his guests. But as she reached the library doors, she thrust them open, dismayed to find the room empty.

Worry crept into her chest and the harder she tried to ignore it, the more it grew. Finally when she could stand it no more, she started up the stairs.

"Dr Crane?"

Slowly she crept down the hallway, pausing at the expansive master bedroom.

Curiosity overcame her and she peered into the doorway, amazed at how beautiful it was. It was without a doubt, the most incredible room she'd ever seen.

Daringly she walked inside, her heart racing with each step. She had no right to be here and she knew that she should turn around and leave.

But a small sound drew her closer to the bed.

And that's where she found him. He sat with his back to her, his blonde hair shining beneath the dim lighting.

As slowly as possible, she moved toward him, taking great care not to startle him. She could only imagine how angry he'd be if he knew she was in his bedroom.

But he barely knew she was there.

When she heard him sigh brokenly, her heart began to break. He was obviously hurting over something; most likely his recent divorce and she felt an urgent need to help him.

With trembling fingers she reached out and touched his shoulder. The gesture caused him to raise his head and when his eyes met hers; her hand flew to her mouth. For she hadn't' expected to see tears.

"Dr Crane..."

He looked away quickly and rose to his feet, frantically trying to brush the tears away.

"Daphne..."

"I... I was just wondering... If you needed any more help... with your party."

"That's very kind of you Daphne, but I think everything is under control."

"I-I know I shouldn't be in here but I... Are you all right?"

The question brought a flash of anger to his eyes.

"Of course I'm all right!" he said defensively. "Why would you even say such a thing?"

"Well... I."

"Just because Baby is-is..."

His voice quivered and he grasped the bed post with his hand in an attempt to steady himself.

And then she knew...


	3. Chapter 3

"Dr. Crane, I'm so sorry..."

Daphne reached for Niles' hand, but he quickly pulled it away, indicating just how much he was hurting.

"There's no need to be sorry, Daphne. I mean, it had to happen sometime. That damn bird was... well, she was nothing but trouble! I only acquired her because I foolishly thought that having a pet would fill the void around here. Maris is gone and I'm here... alone. I just..."

"Dr. Crane..."

He turned away a bit too quickly in an attempt to hide his expression. But he couldn't hide the soft sob that escaped. He lowered himself onto the bed, prompting Daphne to sit down beside him and lay a gentle hand on his back.

"It's all right."

The words she whispered were meant to soothe him but he began to cry.

"Oh Daphne..."

She drew him into her arms and held him close, painfully aware of his soft crying against her chest. Her hand moved in slow circles on his back in an attempt to provide at least some comfort.

"I know it hurts..." She whispered once more as she continued to try to comfort him.

"Baby was... such a lovely bird. I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane."

"Niles, what are you doing in here?"

Frasier's booming voice startled them apart and they turned to find the elder Dr. Crane standing in the doorway.

"Dr. Crane..."

"Niles have you completely lost your senses?" Frasier yelled. "You have guests here!"

"You can't just abandon them! And Daphne, you're supposed to be in the kitchen!"

Niles rose from the bed and turned away, brushing the tears from his cheeks. But the sadness was still there. Slowly he turned to face his brother.

"You're right, Frasier. It was my fault. " Niles explained. "I came in here to look for something and Daphne-."

"Dr. Crane-."

Niles smiled and squeezed her hand. "She was... looking for me. You see, something was troubling her and she needed some advice from a friend."

Frasier crossed his arms. "If you don't mind my saying so Niles, you look more upset than she does."

Niles swallowed hard. "All right, Frasier. If you must know-."

Daphne regarded Frasier with annoyance.

"Dr. Crane is just fine, Dr. Crane. He just got a little emotional when I told him about me problem. You see, I have this-."

Frasier held up his hand. "I don't have time for some lengthy explanation, Daphne. Niles, you have guests downstairs! I've stalled them as best as I can, but you've got to take some responsibility! I'm tired of covering for you!"

Niles looked at his watch. "I suppose I do owe them some sort of explanation. I didn't realize how long I'd been upstairs."

"And while you're doing that, Daphne can you come downstairs and help me dispose of this bird before Niles' guests see it?"

At Niles pained look, Daphne gave his hand a squeeze.

"Thank you so much for talking with me, Dr. Crane. I can't tell you how much it helped."

Finally he smiled and covered her hand with his free one. "I'm glad."

Reluctantly she left the bedroom, wishing there was something more she could do to ease Niles' pain. He loved that little bird and the thought of him hurting and lonely broke her heart.

He was stubborn, fussy and sometimes downright infuriating, but there was another side to him; the sweet, considerate and compassionate side that his brother obviously had no knowledge of.

And suddenly she hated to leave him.


	4. Chapter 4

"Daphne, NOW!"

With an irritated sigh, Daphne followed Frasier out of the bedroom and down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen she was surprised to find that the bird remained where she'd left it... under the dishtowel.

"Well, now that this disaster is almost complete, I think I'll head home. You coming, Daphne?"

She couldn't help the anger she felt toward her boss. "No, I've got me car and I think I'll stay here and help your brother."

"Fine, I just hope that his ego is still in tact! I doubt he'll be hosting anymore parties for a while."

"Your brother and I will be just fine." She said once more.

"Just make sure that you do something about that damn bird!" Frasier yelled.

When he was gone, Daphne lovingly wrapped Baby in a towel and picked her up. It wasn't right to do anything with the body without Niles' consent. But just as she turned the bird onto her side, an object fell from her beak.

Recognizing it immediately, Daphne picked up the object and gasped in horror.

"Me earring!"

A horrible thought came over her then. This was her doing. If she hadn't worn these earrings, the ones that were forever falling off...

How could she have been so stupid? Because of one small decision, she'd managed to crush Niles' already fragile emotions by killing his beloved pet. She could only imagine what he'd think of her.

Hot tears stung her eyes and she looked down at the still-beautiful cockatoo.

If it weren't for her stupidity, Baby would still be alive, sitting on her perch, reciting words and phrases that Niles had taught her to say-and a few other things he wished she hadn't learned.

"Daphne, I wanted to say thank you for-."

Niles stopped suddenly, concerned at the expression on her face.

"Dear God, What's wrong?"

When she looked into his crystal blue eyes, the tears she'd been holding back began to fall onto her cheeks and she fell into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane!"

He held her close, rubbing her back. "Don't apologize. You've been an absolute angel and you have nothing to be sorry for."

She drew back and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You're so sweet, Dr. Crane but I'm afraid it's my fault. If it weren't for me, Baby would still be here."

Niles sighed. "That's preposterous, Daphne. You can't blame yourself."

"That's very sweet of you to say, but this time you're mistaken. You see, we thought that Baby had eaten the hors d'oeuvres, but then this fell out of her mouth."

He squinted at the object she was holding.

"What's that?"  
She sighed deeply. "Me earring. I guess it fell off when your brother and I were making the hors d'oeuvres. I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane. I know how much you loved her."

He hugged her once more and she melted against him, the dampness of her tears on his neck.

"Please don't cry, Daphne. I can't bear it."

"I-I'm sorry." She said again. Then after a slight pause, she drew back and laughed nervously.

"Well, I'll just get these dishes cleaned up and then start cleaning the house. Who knew such that prestigious wine drinkers could make such a mess?"

"That's not necessary, Daphne. I'll take care of it. You work so hard as it is."

"It's no trouble at all, Dr. Crane. You worked so hard putting this party together. It's the least I can do. Now, why don't you go sit on the fainting couch and relax?"

"Nonsense." He replied. "I won't have you cleaning up by yourself. Let me help you."

Daphne smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"All right."

They worked diligently in the living room, clearing the champagne and wine glasses and carrying them into the kitchen, returning for more.

Daphne was just about to put the last item back into the refrigerator when her eyes went to the kitchen island.

She swallowed hard at the sight of Niles' beloved pet. If she didn't know any better she'd think that Baby was merely sleeping, but of course, that wasn't the case.

She watched Niles, who was busy cleaning off the counter tops. She hated to interrupt him but there was still one thing left to do.

And she shuddered when she realized just how heartbreaking it would be... for both of them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dr. Crane?"

He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her.

"I don't mean to interrupt you but there's something you might want to take care of."

"Certainly Daphne. I'll do anything for you."

Her heart warmed at his kind words.

"Well, I was wondering what you were planning to do about-."

Her eyes moved to the poor little bird lying on the island and she saw Niles gaze follow suit.

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Right. Um, well... I think I'll just leave her here for now... You know... Until I decided..."

When his voice quivered, she took his hand.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and then averted his eyes. "Yeah. It'll be fine. As long as she's... comfortable."

His broken voice moved her to tears once more and she put her arms around him.

"Oh Dr. Crane, I'm so sorry."

They held each other for a few minutes until he finally drew back.

"Well, I suppose your brother is angry that I haven't made it home yet. No doubt your father is causing trouble for him already. So I should probably be getting home."

"Tell Frasier thank you." Niles said as he led Daphne to the door.

"I will."

"Oh, and Daphne?"

She turned in the doorway to face him.

"Yes, Dr. Crane?"

"Thank you. For everything."

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"It was my pleasure. And don't worry. I know it hurts but the pain will go away in time. At least that's what me brother Stephen said when I lost me pet goldfish as a child."

When Niles hugged her warmly, she sighed, knowing that he would be just fine. He was the kindest, sweetest man she'd ever known. So unlike his brother or his father.

And for that she was eternally grateful.

**THE END**


End file.
